Flair Magazine Spring is here and summer will soon be in full swing. No more hiding under bulky clothes and watching Netflix all weekend. Soon we will be by the poolside or hitting the beach. Cutting sugar out of your diet will make losing that unwanted winter weight a breeze. Sugar is the main ingredient in many popular food and drink items and the dangers of sugar extend far beyond your summer waistline. Avoiding sugar isn’t easy but well worth the effort as sugar is both toxic and addictive. Sugar causes many major health issues including obesity, skin irritations, dental decay, diabetes, and more. Here are five easy ways to cut back on sugar and what to replace it with.
Cut Our Soda & Sweet Drinks
Cracking open a cold soda can be very refreshing but the amount of added sugars in sodas, juices, and other sweet drinks is alarming. If you are serious about cutting sugar from your diet then eliminating these sweet drinks is an important first step. Sugar occurs naturally in whole foods and to intake an excess amount of added sugar through sugary drinks quickly doubles or triples a person’s daily sugar intake. The sweet drinks we enjoy sometimes have more than our daily-required amount of sugar in just one serving! The good news is that infused waters can replace these drinks while keeping the body hydrated.
Say Bye to Processed Foods
It is necessary to cut processed foods from your diet in order to cut back on sugar. Foods that come in a box, bag, can, or any other package have added sugar and salt. Processed food is a quick and easy alternative when time is short but these foods have a dramatic effect on health when eaten in excess. Processed foods often have so many additives to keep them fresh that their health value is close to nothing. Cooking whole foods and making meals at home is a far healthier and rewarding way to eat and will help to reduce the sugar in your daily diet. This, second to eliminating soda and sweet drinks is a change that will yield quick and dramatic results. Choosing whole foods instead of processed foods will cut your sugar intake in almost half!
DIY (yes, do it yourself!)
So, you still want to make your favorite dishes even though you’re looking to cut down on sugar? No, problem! Making your own dips, sauces, and dressings will help you to enjoy your favorite foods while being mindful of your sugar intake. Many food manufacturers replace fats with extra sugar and salt to make foods “low-fat” or “fat-free”. This replacement makes food “fat-free”, as in contains no literal fat, but doesn’t help to make the product healthy in any way and the excess sugar actually promotes weight gain. Taking the time to make your own versions of salad dressings, pasta sauces, and dips will help you cut the sugar and keep the flavor.
Go Au-Naturel
Cutting sugar doesn’t mean going without sweets entirely. Removing sodas and processed foods from your diet is a dramatic change but you don’t need to go cold turkey on the sweets. There are many different types of sugar that occur naturally in food that will work to replace artificial sugars or added sugars if you are having a sugar craving. Start by selecting whole foods that have sweet flavors like fruits and sweet vegetables; unlike artificial sweeteners fruits and vegetables have naturally occurring sugars plus fiber and other important nutrients that will keep you full longer. Instead of buying sweet snacks grab a piece of fruit. Fruit is literally nature’s candy so stock up on fruits to satisfy your sweet tooth.
Eat More
It is hard to cut back on sugar because so many of the things we commonly grab as snacks are sugar-filled. Candy, chocolate, soda, and other items are filled with added sugar and give us a quick boost of energy. This quick and cheap energy boost comes at a high cost and often leaves us feeling lethargic and craving more sugar. This sugar cycle is problematic because it is hard to break. While eating more food seems counterintuitive, but the truth is that eating more frequently and keeping your body fueled with healthy food will help reduce unwanted sugar cravings.
By Amy N. Pugsley
